Blocked Signal Message Application In Russia, Reportedly Violating Law On Anti-Terrorism Operations

Signal is blocked in Russia (photo: x @signalapp)

JAKARTA - Russia's state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, announced that the Signal encrypted messaging application had been blocked in the country for allegedly violating laws related to anti-terrorism operations. This was reported by the Interfax news agency on Friday, August 8.

According to the report, Roskomnadzor stated that "access to Signal messaging applications is blocked in connection with violations of Russian law requirements that must be complied with to prevent the use of messaging applications for terrorism and extremism purposes."

Prior to the official announcement from Roskomnadzor, hundreds of Signal users reported interference on the app. The app, known as a safe communication tool, is used by up to one million Russian citizens to encrypt their messages and conversations.

Internet service monitoring sites recorded more than 1,500 complaints related to Signal, mostly from users in Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, users report that the app is still functioning normally when accessed via VPN or used in built-in sensor bypass mode.

Mikhail Klimarev, Telegram channel author "For Telecom", told Reuters, "This shows that what happened was blocking Signal apps in Russia, not technical issues on Signal's side."

In addition, some users in Moscow and the Krasnodar region reported that they could not register a new account on Signal without using a VPN. While trying to enter a mobile phone number, the app displays the "Server Error" message.

Klimarev also mentioned that this was the first attempt to block Signal in Russia. Earlier, in 2018, Russian authorities tried to block access to Telegram, a messaging app that was widely used. Although the move disrupted many third-party services, the blocking did little to affect Telegram's availability in Russia.